Polls closed in Mississippi

Heavy voter turnout was reported across the state on Tuesday, said Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann.

"A lot of people are showing up to vote. We have long lines throughout the state of Mississippi, and I'm very pleased with that," Hosemann said. "We were concerned because our absentee ballot counts have not been as high as they were four years ago, but apparently, people are making up for it by going to the polls."

Hosemann said very few problems had been reported. He said in one case, an election machine wasn't plugged in and in another a card was put in incorrectly. The problems were fixed by 7:36 a.m., he said.

Some Hinds County voters showed up to vote at Wynndale Presbyterian Church at 6600 Terry Road but were unaware that county officials had moved the polling location to the Terry Fire Department.

"Apparently there's inadequate parking (at the fire station)," Hosemann said. "We've asked the Hinds County Sheriff's Department to go there, which they have. We've also sent our representative out to help them, and we're having trouble with people getting to the polls, or walking on the street -- particularly our senior citizens -- in the Terry area. We've got people located there to hopefully help with the traffic count."

Some voters said they've waited up to an hour to cast their ballot.

The first voter arrived at 5 a.m. Tuesday at Parkway Pentecostal Church in Madison. By 7 a.m., dozens more had joined him in line.

In Flowood, about 100 people were in line at 6:30 a.m. at the G. Chastaine Flynt Memorial Library. Within 15 minutes, the line had tripled in size.

"I knew I had to go to work, and the last time I got caught in a line," said Jackson voter Katherine White. "So, I got up at 5 a.m. and got here. I was the first one in the parking lot."

Problems started early Tuesday morning at Precinct 85 at Fire Station 26 on Flag Chapel Road. The polling location is one of the largest precincts in Hinds County with more than 3,000 registered voters.

The precinct manager had the wrong keys for the voting machines and had to wait for the new keys to arrive before she could boot up the machines. As a result, a number of voters had to use paper ballots.

"It makes it hard for the manager, the workers and the voters when the material is not where it is supposed to be," said precinct manager Charity Cannon.

16 WAPT political analyst Matt Friedeman talks to General Manager Stuart Kellogg. Former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, who is also an analyst for 16 WAPT News, is in the background.

Long voting lines in Madison.

Voters didn't have to wait Tuesday afternoon at the Eudora Welty Library in Jackson.

Some voters at Precinct 85 on Terry and Flag Chapel roads had to use paper ballots Tuesday morning. The precinct manager had the wrong keys for the voting machines and had to wait for the new keys to arrive before she could boot up the machines.

The line to vote at Callaway High School.

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Voters in Madison

The line to vote formed early at the library in Flowood. About 100 people were there by 6:30 a.m.

By 6:45 a.m., the line had tripled in size in Flowood.

There was also a long line before the polls opened at Oak Forest Elementary School in Jackson.

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